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Spanish ’V’

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Dario8015
Diglot
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United Kingdom
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 Message 1 of 11
19 July 2009 at 6:35pm | IP Logged 
I've only recently started to learn Spanish and I've noticed that the Spanish 'v' is sometimes pronounced as an English 'v' and sometimes as a 'b' - even by the same speaker....does anyone know if this is a regional phenomenon or is it just down to individual choice?

Thanks
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minus273
Triglot
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France
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 Message 2 of 11
19 July 2009 at 6:47pm | IP Logged 
Dario8015 wrote:
I've only recently started to learn Spanish and I've noticed that the Spanish 'v' is sometimes pronounced as an English 'v' and sometimes as a 'b' - even by the same speaker....does anyone know if this is a regional phenomenon or is it just down to individual choice?
Thanks

STFG
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_phonology wrote:
/b/, /d/, and /ɡ/ are approximants ([β̞], [ð̞], [ɣ˕]; hereafter represented without the undertack) in all places except after a pause, a nasal consonant or, in the case of /d/, after a lateral consonant; in such contexts they are voiced plosives.


'v' and 'b' are pronounced identically as /b/. But /b/ sounds like an English /b/ in some environments, and like an English /v/ (not exactly the same) in other.

Edited by minus273 on 19 July 2009 at 6:49pm

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TheBiscuit
Tetraglot
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Mexico
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 Message 3 of 11
20 July 2009 at 6:42pm | IP Logged 
In Mexico it's hard to distinguish between the two which leads to lots of spelling errors by natives such as: tubo, recivir, devo etc. You can see them in the street everywhere.
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Hencke
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Spain
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 Message 4 of 11
20 July 2009 at 10:15pm | IP Logged 
It's not only in Mexico. They are not distinguished anywhere, except for some isolated cases, such as second generation immigrants, or in border areas, where the influence from English is messing up the pronunciation.
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Cainntear
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 Message 5 of 11
20 July 2009 at 10:46pm | IP Logged 
The V-like sound usually occurs between two vowels. It's not really a V in most accents, it's more like trying to say B without actually closing the mouth. It's an "unfinished B", if you will.

The B sound usually occurs at the end of a word or phrase, or where the letter is next to another consonant. The other consonant (or the lack of vowel) gives you extra room to finish the B sound, so you close your mouth completely and say B.

Edit: I should have initially said this distinction only occurs in certain accents. Some accents are universally "b-like" and others universally "v-like".

Edited by Cainntear on 21 July 2009 at 2:01pm

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Cainntear
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 Message 6 of 11
20 July 2009 at 10:47pm | IP Logged 
minus273 wrote:
STFG
??? That's a new one on me, but the F looks rude....
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charlmartell
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 Message 7 of 11
20 July 2009 at 11:52pm | IP Logged 
Cainntear wrote:
The V-like sound usually occurs between two vowels. It's not really a V in most accents, it's more like trying to say B without actually closing the mouth. It's an "unfinished B", if you will.

How do you know? Via the same source that informed you that most Latin American accents sound just like Andalusian?

Cainntear wrote:
The B sound usually occurs at the end of a word or phrase,

Could you give us an example of a word or phrase ending in a B sound?

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minus273
Triglot
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France
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 Message 8 of 11
21 July 2009 at 12:22am | IP Logged 
Cainntear wrote:
minus273 wrote:
STFG
??? That's a new one on me, but the F looks rude....

It is rude... And STFW would be more idiomatic.


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